So I hurt my knee last night. I was trying to kill a spider on the ceiling and tried climbing into my chaise lounge, which promptly moved and I twisted my knee. It's a weak knee. I've hurt it before. Same exact pain, so all I can do is stay off it and take Aleve. :::sigh:::: I had a frigging broom in my hand, why did I feel the need to get closer? Karma for trying to kill something. Whatever.
Since I'm stuck to the couch today, I figured I would watch people that weren't. ADVENTURE DAY!
First movie I choose was 20,000 Leagues Under The Sea. I knew very very little about this story line before watching this. The only exposure I've had is from the film The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. Don't judge. Someday I'll read all the classics...or at least the Wiki on them. Anyway, this film is almost a hundred years old. Filmed in 1916. It's really a marvel because of all of the underwater scenes. There are a lot of them. Cause it was cool. You never got to see anything like that. I was a bit worried about sticking this one out. I have a very tiny attention span(TINY TINY TINY Really!!), and this movie was almost two hours long. It was wonderful though. Exciting story line. Really kept me engaged. And the underwater scenes. Spectacular. Not sure how he did it, but it was fascinating. Very obvious that the director was showing off. There were several scenes with men in deep sea diving suits. I couldn't figure out if they were real or puppets. They kinda moved like puppets and had very strange figures, but then one of them would grab onto another. So I don't know. Gotta look that up.
Up next was Robinson Crusoe. This story I kinda knew. Especially when Friday showed up. This seems to be a very typical "stranded on a desert island" film. Full of stereotypes and grass skirts. You HAVE to get over this stuff if you are going to watch old movies! It happened. Deal with it. I didn't quite get Robinson's attire. What was up with the hat? Really strange. Movie was entertaining overall, Nothing really special. Kept me busy though.
The lead in the movie is a guy named Marmaduke Wetherell. This the same name as the guy who was involved in that really famous Loch Ness Monster picture/foot print hoax. I don't think they're the same person, but how many Marmaduke Wetherells can there be?? He was calling himself a "Big Game Hunter" during the Nessie thing, maybe he thinks he's all that because of Robinson Crusoe? Hmmm. Didn't look much more into it, but there it is.
Anyway, I'm off to ice my knee some more. It was a very different Silent Cinema Sunday! Nice to switch things up a bit!
Love,
Olive
Sunday, April 19, 2015
Sunday, April 12, 2015
More Wally For Silent Cinema Sunday
Talking about Wally so much last week really sparked a craving for more! SOOOO Wallace Reid Silent Cinema Sunday!
Not that I'm a Wallace Reid expert, I haven't even cracked that book I bought about him, but on top of being a wonderful romantic lead, like in The Affairs of Anatol and Carmen, he's known for his adventure/racing movies. So I'm now up for exploring his dashing adventure side a bit! I chose Excuse My Dust and The Roaring Road.
I didn't do much research before popping these in the DVD player, so I accidentally watched them out of order. :-/ Of course! It didn't matter much. It's not like they were very deep movies where you needed a background story. I didn't even realize it until I was well into The Roaring Road and saw he was courting the girl who was his wife in Excuse My Dust. ;-)
I really loved these movies though. They were fun and light. Perfect for a simple Silent Cinema Sunday. Wally's character's name was Toodles. Yep, Toodles.
The Roaring Road was one of the first films shot after the famous train wreak in 1919 while filming Valley of the Giants, so he was already hooked on morphine. See, while filming Valley of the Giants, Wally was injured in a train wreak. Instead of postponing production and letting him heal, the studio had him prescribed morphine to keep him going. This turned into a terrible addiction that eventually lead to his death. There was no such thing as drug rehab or even a real understanding of the dangers of addiction. His wife, Dorothy Davenport, spent the rest of her life going by the name "Mrs Wallace Reid" and trying to educate people about the dangers of addiction. I've got to look into her more.... Anyway, it was still early enough in his addiction that you couldn't tell by his performance and it wasn't affecting his looks yet. I didn't even notice any hindrance in his movements. Sorry, this is he stuff that intrigues me, so this is the stuff I write about.
He was perfectly charming in both movies. I really actually liked him better in these than The Affairs of Anatol and Carmen. I think the character of Toodles suited him better. A dashing risk taking bad boy. He makes you want to cheer for him. And these movies were just so much fun! Very cool racing scenes and beautiful shots of the countryside. And his son was in Excuse My Dust, so we get to see Wallace Reid Jr! I did just buy The Racing Strain, as soon as it gets here I'm going to watch the son follow his father's footsteps. ;-)
It's interesting, I don't like racing movies. I don't even like action movies. No way would I sit through some crap like Fast and Furious(the new one, not the awesome Franchot Tone/Ann Southern movie). Silent movies I tend to give more of a chance. I would never watch a modern western, or even Bonanza(unless it's an episode with Ramon Novarro...sigh), but I watched Hell's Hinges because my favorite blogger recommended it and now I'm a full blown William S Hart fan. Go figure!
I do tend to watch the films because of the actors, so maybe that's why I'm more open minded when it comes to silents. The actors were just so much more interesting and then I *want* to see their work. See what they did and what they were capable of. I'm glad that I'm like this, it's helping me learn a lot and opening a lot of doors for me. ;-)
Love,
Olive
Not that I'm a Wallace Reid expert, I haven't even cracked that book I bought about him, but on top of being a wonderful romantic lead, like in The Affairs of Anatol and Carmen, he's known for his adventure/racing movies. So I'm now up for exploring his dashing adventure side a bit! I chose Excuse My Dust and The Roaring Road.
I didn't do much research before popping these in the DVD player, so I accidentally watched them out of order. :-/ Of course! It didn't matter much. It's not like they were very deep movies where you needed a background story. I didn't even realize it until I was well into The Roaring Road and saw he was courting the girl who was his wife in Excuse My Dust. ;-)
I really loved these movies though. They were fun and light. Perfect for a simple Silent Cinema Sunday. Wally's character's name was Toodles. Yep, Toodles.
The Roaring Road was one of the first films shot after the famous train wreak in 1919 while filming Valley of the Giants, so he was already hooked on morphine. See, while filming Valley of the Giants, Wally was injured in a train wreak. Instead of postponing production and letting him heal, the studio had him prescribed morphine to keep him going. This turned into a terrible addiction that eventually lead to his death. There was no such thing as drug rehab or even a real understanding of the dangers of addiction. His wife, Dorothy Davenport, spent the rest of her life going by the name "Mrs Wallace Reid" and trying to educate people about the dangers of addiction. I've got to look into her more.... Anyway, it was still early enough in his addiction that you couldn't tell by his performance and it wasn't affecting his looks yet. I didn't even notice any hindrance in his movements. Sorry, this is he stuff that intrigues me, so this is the stuff I write about.
He was perfectly charming in both movies. I really actually liked him better in these than The Affairs of Anatol and Carmen. I think the character of Toodles suited him better. A dashing risk taking bad boy. He makes you want to cheer for him. And these movies were just so much fun! Very cool racing scenes and beautiful shots of the countryside. And his son was in Excuse My Dust, so we get to see Wallace Reid Jr! I did just buy The Racing Strain, as soon as it gets here I'm going to watch the son follow his father's footsteps. ;-)
It's interesting, I don't like racing movies. I don't even like action movies. No way would I sit through some crap like Fast and Furious(the new one, not the awesome Franchot Tone/Ann Southern movie). Silent movies I tend to give more of a chance. I would never watch a modern western, or even Bonanza(unless it's an episode with Ramon Novarro...sigh), but I watched Hell's Hinges because my favorite blogger recommended it and now I'm a full blown William S Hart fan. Go figure!
I do tend to watch the films because of the actors, so maybe that's why I'm more open minded when it comes to silents. The actors were just so much more interesting and then I *want* to see their work. See what they did and what they were capable of. I'm glad that I'm like this, it's helping me learn a lot and opening a lot of doors for me. ;-)
Love,
Olive
Sunday, April 5, 2015
I spent this Silent Cinema Sunday with Carmen!
Wallace Reid fascinates me. I'm very intrigued by his life and his addiction. I'm a ghoul. I've told you I'm a ghoul. Can't help it. I did pick up Wally: The True Wallace Reid Story. Robert Osborne did the intro. Someday I'll have time to read it. Someday. My undiagnosed whatever has made my attention span null, so I have a hard time focusing all the way through a book. If it's a book full of short essays no problem! A whole book at the moment is out of the question. I keep buying them though!
So I was reading my favorite blog and they reviewed Chaplin's Burlesque on Carmen and recommended watching the silent version of Carmen and then Burlesque on Carmen to fully appreciate it. A day of Wallace Reid and Chaplin? DONE!
I've had Carmen for a while. I went on a binge(yes again) and bought all the Wallace Reid movies I could find. Plus, the idea of a silent opera intrigued me. How do you do *that*? We'll they did, and it was FABULOUS! I'm pretty familiar with the story of Carmen, so that probably helped. The soundtrack on the DVD was from the opera, so that probably helped too. And looking at Wallace Reid makes everything fabulous.... Wallace Reid was excellent, and he made those wonderful handsome Wally faces of his. The best part though? Geraldine Farrar's death scene. Really really good. I'm a mean person, so most of the movie I was thinking that she wasn't pretty enough to play Carmen and was focusing on that. I'm mean. I try not to be, but I am. She steals it with that last scene though. I have to watch it again now, with greater appreciation and maybe a little less focus on Wally. ;-) If I can help it.
Burlesque on Carmen was typical Chaplin. Warm, gentle, easy humor. At least that's the impression that I always walk away from a Chaplin film with. So do you really do have to watch Carmen first to fully appreciate it? Chaplin is always funny regardless, but seeing Carmen does help you get the jokes better. Honestly, the brilliance of Chaplin means it doesn't need to be contextualized to enjoy this. Cause Carmen is hard to come by, and it's expensive! I think you all can tell I buy A LOT, so I'm always looking for a deal.
Another great Silent Cinema Sunday!
Love,
Olive
So I was reading my favorite blog and they reviewed Chaplin's Burlesque on Carmen and recommended watching the silent version of Carmen and then Burlesque on Carmen to fully appreciate it. A day of Wallace Reid and Chaplin? DONE!
I've had Carmen for a while. I went on a binge(yes again) and bought all the Wallace Reid movies I could find. Plus, the idea of a silent opera intrigued me. How do you do *that*? We'll they did, and it was FABULOUS! I'm pretty familiar with the story of Carmen, so that probably helped. The soundtrack on the DVD was from the opera, so that probably helped too. And looking at Wallace Reid makes everything fabulous.... Wallace Reid was excellent, and he made those wonderful handsome Wally faces of his. The best part though? Geraldine Farrar's death scene. Really really good. I'm a mean person, so most of the movie I was thinking that she wasn't pretty enough to play Carmen and was focusing on that. I'm mean. I try not to be, but I am. She steals it with that last scene though. I have to watch it again now, with greater appreciation and maybe a little less focus on Wally. ;-) If I can help it.
Burlesque on Carmen was typical Chaplin. Warm, gentle, easy humor. At least that's the impression that I always walk away from a Chaplin film with. So do you really do have to watch Carmen first to fully appreciate it? Chaplin is always funny regardless, but seeing Carmen does help you get the jokes better. Honestly, the brilliance of Chaplin means it doesn't need to be contextualized to enjoy this. Cause Carmen is hard to come by, and it's expensive! I think you all can tell I buy A LOT, so I'm always looking for a deal.
Another great Silent Cinema Sunday!
Love,
Olive
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